Analytical Solution for Levy-type Bending of Cross-ply Piezoelectric Composite Laminates

In this paper, the Levy-type solution is developed to study the static behavior of the cross-ply piezoelectric laminated composite plates whose all or some of their laminae possess the piezoelectric properties. By the use of the proposed method the behavior of the rectangular cross-ply piezoelectric laminates with at least two simply supported opposite edges can be analytically examined. The governing equations of equilibrium are derived in the framework of the first-order shear deformation plate theory and classified according to the crystallography type of piezoelectric layers. Moreover, limitations of the method for the analysis of this kind of the structures are discussed. Finally, the governing equations of equilibrium are solved analytically with the aid of the state-space approach. The numerical results are compared with those obtained by the Navier method and those obtained by other investigators. It is found that the present results have very good agreements with those obtained by other methods.